A glass of beer, a loaf of bread, a bowl of cereal, a standard of measurement, a form of currency, a medication – they all began with barley – an ancient grain, possibly even older than rice. Barley’s once exalted status has been redefined. No longer does it serve as a unit of monetary exchange or a unit of measurement. No physician thinks of prescribing it for an ailing patient. Now, barley is largely relegated to being a food or a key ingredient in the making of beer.
We owe much to the desert nomads and the camel caravans who endured sandstorms and unrelenting heat to trade their sacks of barley with distant neighbors, who then traded with other distant neighbors. Our steaming bowl of mushroom barley soup is a hand-me-down recipe with roots that take us back to prehistoric man. In 2005 barley ranked fourth for cereal production. There are many types of barley, many different uses for it and a long history of its importance to mankind.
Barley has a unique family-friendly quality. You can make a batch ahead on a Sunday, and it keeps well for at least three days in the fridge, and up to three months in the freezer. Monday, you can use it as breakfast and Tuesday, put a cup or two in your salad, and on Wednesday, you can add a barley casserole to your meal.
Four ways to cook barley. For each cup of barley, add 2 1/4 cups of water.
-Stove top: bring barley to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 30 to 50 minutes.
-Rice cooker: barley will cook in the same amount of time as brown rice — approximately one cycle in a rice cooker.
-Oven: place barley and liquid in a covered casserole dish and cook it in the oven.
-Slow cooker: cook barley in a slow cooker for 3 to 4 hours on low heat.
Barley Chicken & Mushroom Casserole is such a wholesome and comforting meal.
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Barley Chicken & Mushroom Casserole
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Instructions
Chicken Thighs
Preheat oven to 400° F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil or parchment paper. Set aside.
In a small bowl, whisk together the seasonings until well combined. Pat the chicken thighs dry with paper towels and place them in the baking dish.
Rub both sides of the chicken with olive oil. Sprinkle the seasoning mixture over the chicken, rubbing it on both sides of the chicken thighs.
Bake in the preheated oven, without moving or turning, until the internal temperature of the thickest part of the chicken reaches at least 165° F. This will take about 30-40 minutes, depending on the size of your chicken thighs. During the last 15 minutes, place the cherry tomatoes on baking tray & roast. Remove chicken thighs & tomatoes from oven. Slice thighs in 1/4-inch thick slices. Keep chicken & roasted tomatoes warm.
Barley
In a saucepan, place the water & vegetable broth powder, stir to dissolve. Add barley & bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer & cook barley until tender. Cooking time for pearl barley is around 35 minutes. Turn off the heat, stir the barley, cover the saucepan and let it stand for another 5 to 10 minutes.
Vegetables
In a saucepan, sauté vegetables in 1 Tbsp oil until tender then season to taste. Combine with cooked barley.
Serving
In a casserole serving dish, place the veg/barley mixture. Top with sliced chicken thighs & roasted tomatoes. Garnish with sliced green onion & serve.
Recipe Notes
- If you find the barley & vegetables seem a bit dry add a bit more vegetable broth.
I have always enjoyed incorporating different varieties of cheese into my cooking. Like the saying goes ‘cheese makes it better’. One of the few kinds both Brion and I are not fond of though, is Blue Cheese. Never being able to get past that real strong smell and flavor, it came as a surprise to me when I tasted Gorgonzola and loved it.
It all came about some years ago, Brion and I had the pleasure of eating lunch at Gayles Bakery & Rosticceria in the little seaside town of Capitola, about 64 km (40 miles) north of the Monterey Peninsula in California. It was there I tasted gorgonzola and it was just incredible!
We had arrived at Gayle’s right around noon. The place was bustling with business. It had a massive rotisserie and deli case packed with roasted chicken, slow barbecued ribs, hot entrees, salads and sandwiches. In the bakery cases were desserts that could give any French bakery some pretty stiff competition. I stood there trying to make a lunch choice and decided on a very ordinary looking Spinach-Gorgonzola Pasta. Wow! It was so good; I wouldn’t dream of ordering anything else on future visits. My love affair with Gorgonzola still continues.
Imported from Italy, this sweet or ‘dolce’ Gorgonzola has the characteristically creamy texture and nutty aroma Gorgonzola is known for yet a milder taste due to a shorter aging period. A great option for those who normally shy away from blue cheese.
Brion has come to enjoy it as much as I do, so it comes up often in our meals.
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Roast Pork Tenderloin w/ Gorgonzola Sauce
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Instructions
Tenderloin
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Slice tenderloin horizontally into 1-inch slices but leave the bottom STILL INTACT. Thread onto a skewer, pulling the pieces open slightly. Brush with oil & sprinkle with seasoning.
Place skewer OVER a roasting pan with only the ends of the skewer resting on the pan. Roast ONLY until meat is cooked through, about 30 minutes or when thermometer reads around 150 F. Remove from skewer & slice through. Prepare sauce while meat is roasting.
Sauce
In a small saucepan, melt butter then whisk in flour. Cook for 1 minute, stirring occasionally, then began adding milk gradually while whisking constantly. Continue cooking until the sauce begins to thicken. Remove from heat.
Allow the sauce to cool slightly before adding gorgonzola. Stir until the cheese is incorporated & add salt to taste if preferred.
Pour sauce on serving dish & place tenderloin medallions on top. Garnish with green onion.
French bread doesn’t get enough recognition for its worth. Fresh, soft crusty bread can be so much more than a simple side to a big family meal. You can base an entire meal around a loaf of French Bread!
Stuffed with salmon, scallops, shrimp, and mushrooms, this seafood bread can be served as an appetizer or sliced into larger pieces as an entree with a salad. The recipe itself is quite versatile. This stuffed French bread reminds me of the edible bread bowls of the past, but all stuffed inside a wonderful loaf of French bread.
Edible bread bowls were a huge hit in the 80’s and 90’s, but the idea fizzled at the start of the 21st century. Bread has always been a main stay of any meal, from toast at breakfast to sandwiches at lunch and rolls for supper. Many restaurants used the bread bowl idea as a way to justify charging more for soup. They are an extremely versatile way to hold thick, creamy soups, spicy chili or stews as well as dips and warm melted cheese.
Bread bowls will always hold a special memory for Brion and I. Over the years we have made many trips to the California coast. We always stayed in the Carmel/Monterey area and walked the coastline with our destination being Fisherman’s Wharf. It was a special treat having clam chowder in a sourdough bowl at a wharf restaurant.
This seafood bread combines many ingredients that enhance its delicious and creamy flavor, perfect for a late summer meal.
It has a soft and velvety textured inside with the French bread giving texture to the combination with its crustiness. Lots of seafood, cheesy, and super savory, this stuffed French bread is your fast track to home-cooked comfort. So good!!
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Seafood Bread
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Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 250 gm mushrooms, sliced
- 2 green onions, sliced
- 200 gm wild shrimp, peeled, deveined & slightly chopped
- 200 gm bay scallops
- 250 gm wild salmon, boneless, skinless, sliced about 1/4-inch thick & 1 1/2 -inch in length
- 1/2 tsp EACH onion & garlic powder
- 1 tsp Old Bay seasoning
- 1 Tbsp grainy Dijon mustard
- 284 ml cream of mushroom soup
- 2 eggs
- 2 medium potatoes, baked & thickly sliced I bake these in the microwave -- easy & quick
- 150 gm cheese, sliced smoked, Pepper Jack or any cheese of choice
- 400 gm loaf of French or Italian bread, round or oval shaped
- 1 green onion, sliced for garnish
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 250 gm mushrooms, sliced
- 2 green onions, sliced
- 200 gm wild shrimp, peeled, deveined & slightly chopped
- 200 gm bay scallops
- 250 gm wild salmon, boneless, skinless, sliced about 1/4-inch thick & 1 1/2 -inch in length
- 1/2 tsp EACH onion & garlic powder
- 1 tsp Old Bay seasoning
- 1 Tbsp grainy Dijon mustard
- 284 ml cream of mushroom soup
- 2 eggs
- 2 medium potatoes, baked & thickly sliced I bake these in the microwave -- easy & quick
- 150 gm cheese, sliced smoked, Pepper Jack or any cheese of choice
- 400 gm loaf of French or Italian bread, round or oval shaped
- 1 green onion, sliced for garnish
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Votes: 1
Rating: 5
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Instructions
In a skillet, sauté mushrooms & 2 green onions in olive oil for about 5 minutes. Add shrimp, scallops & salmon with a bit of the seasonings & sauté for another 5 minutes. Drain off any excess liquid & set aside.
In a bowl, whisk mushroom soup, eggs, mustard & remaining seasoning together. Don’t overmix, keep the mixture a little lumpy.
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Slice into the bread, but not all the way through. You need to cut deep enough into the bread to open out the loaf and fill between the “slices, while leaving the loaf connected at the base. You can either cut bread into thick slices or slice from both directions. Place the bread on a sheet of parchment paper.
Into each slot in the bread, place a slice of potato, followed by some of the seafood/mushroom mixture.
Spoon some of the soup/egg mixture into each slot, so that the bread absorbs as much as possible.
Finally insert the slices of cheese. Enclose the loaf fully in the baking paper and then wrap it in foil to make a tight parcel.
Put the wrapped bread into the preheated oven and bake for 60 minutes, then remove the tray and open the foil and parchment paper. Return to the oven for about 30 minutes, until the top of the bread and its filling is golden brown. Remove, garnish with green onion, & serve!
Recipe Notes
- Any combination of seafood you prefer will work.
